Supporters of Sikh activist Amritpal Singh protest in US cities as manhunt continues
Protests in major U.S. cities including Los Angeles and New York continued Thursday as Indian police searched for Sikh activist Amritpal Singh.
They mirrored civil unrest in Punjab cities where an internet shutdown implemented by the Indian government currently affects 27 million people, in what appears to be an effort to suppress protests, NBC News reported.
The demonstrations at Indian consulates and embassies in the U.S. supported the Sikh separatist movement to create an independent nation called “Khalistan”. Similar protests have been seen in England, Australia and Canada.
Sikh activists are gathering for multiple reasons. In Chicago and Sacramento, they organized to protest India’s lack of transparency with its laws, alleged human right violations and government attempts to arrest Singh.
Punjab Inspector General Sukhchain Singh Gill said Singh is wanted on charges of “creating disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attacking cops and preventing them from carrying out their duties,” he told the Times of India.
Kunarveer Singh, who serves as an organizer for the California Sikh Youth Alliance, says the protests are in support of Singh, but more broadly, in opposition to India’s suppression of minority religions.
“We’ve realized if no one else is going to speak up for us, then you have to do it yourself,” he told NBC News. “There’s no media blackout here. So if they can’t do it [in India], we very much will here.”
